Grüß Gott! (literally "Greet God": a very traditional Bavarian greeting)

So Lisa and I didn't go to the disco last night, we were both too tired. Instead, we continued our Harry Potter movie marathon and finished the rest of the first and the entirety of the second movie. Tonight we got about a quarter of the way through the third. Lisa is a huge Harry Potter fan :-) We watch it in German with German subtitles, which, curiously enough, don't actually fit with the audio. Despite this quirk, I can still understand everything between the audio and the subtitles.

Yesterday we went to the Schloss Mindelburg, that is, Mindelburg Castle. Yes, the small town of Mindelheim has it's very own castle! It's not near as big or well-known as some of the other castles around here, but Lisa and I had it all to ourselves and it was still super cool that in just a five minute car ride, BOOM! Castle. Right there. Built in the late 12th century. Simply amazing. Inside is a printing press, which was made probably in the 15th or 16th centuries, but we weren't allowed in.

(The URL for the translated Wikipedia page with about a paragraph more about the castle's history, for those interested)
https://translate.google.de/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fde.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMindelburg&edit-text=&act=url

Today we went to the Bauernhof Museen (Agricultural/Farm Museum... Bear with me :-) which was an extra special treat because today was the Tag der Volksmusik (Folk Music Day). There were brass bands, bell ringers, dance groups, various improvised percussion instruments (like a washboard "guitar"), traditional Bavarian instruments, Alpenhorn, accordion, and harp players. Basically everything you could ever think of, and not just one or two. Around every corner, in every building, in every part of the entire place (all outdoors), you could hear at least two or three different groups performing all at the same time.

 

Already so, so cool, made even cooler by the fact that an unbelievable amount of people showed up in Tracht, that is, the recognizably German (but mostly Bavarian!!! :-) everyday wear of yesteryear. Dirndl for women and Lederhosen for men, below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lederhosen

These used to encompass the rural population's entire wardrobe in varying degrees of finery, but today are worn most often for Oktoberfest or other special occasions. A few people even showed up to Nina's Abiball and the English Club play in Dirndl! 

Also cool, the Alpenhorn players were nice enough to pose for a photo with me (it helps when you're a foreigner).

The main attraction on a normal day are the fascinating collection of about 10-15 restored buildings of a Bavarian farm town as well as displays about the progress of machinery in farming. I might not have understood the displays so well, but just being there and seeing how the people of this region used to live was amazing.

(Lisa and I, and her grandparents, who told me to also call to them Oma and Opa <3) 

I bought a hand-thown and painted tea mug and got the chance to practice my planing skills on a wooden plank and use the fantastically scented shavings to stuff a small pillow with. I'm not quite sure what the type of wood was, but it's typisch Bayrisch (typical Bavarian, like everything else at the museum) and I have to find out what it is! 

I'm going to email and/or call Customs before I leave to see if it's okay to bring fresh cut, untreated wood shavings into the US. The laws regarding plants/plant products and such are extremely stringent, seemingly senseless, kind of ambiguous, and very confusing, so cross your fingers! I've done some research, and honestly, I'm kind of thinking there might be a problem. From a common sense standpoint however, I don't want to believe that it could be confiscated, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and ask :-( That way I can leave it with the Schusters as a memento should I figure out that it wouldn't be allowed.

Tomorrow we are going to Bodensee (Lake Constance:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Constance), which is a huge lake bordering Austria, Switzerland, and of course, Germany. It's near the Alps and and is supposed to have stunning views. I'm really excited! Tons of pictures to come!!

Bis später!
Deine Megan